Donohue: Many devices available to treat sleep apnea

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: On my own, I went to a sleep clinic to be assessed for sleep apnea. After two nights there, I was told I need a CPAP machine. They decided I needed a full face mask because I am a mouth-breather. After the first night, I knew I could not wear that mask. I got to the point where I did not want to go to bed. Finally, after five months of stress, I went to my heart doctor and a lung doctor. They told me not to put myself through such stress. I wonder if you would shed some light on this topic, as many people cannot tolerate these masks. — N.M.

“CPAP” stands for “continuous positive airway pressure,” a device that imparts pressure on incoming air so it can bypass throat obstruction and reach the lungs. “Apnea” is a Greek word meaning “no breathing.” With sleep apnea, people have periods of 10 seconds or longer when they don’t breathe. Often, these people are loud snorers, and the apnea periods are preceded by ever-increasing loud snoring until there’s a sudden silence. The silence is the period of no breathing. The apneic period ends with a grunt from the snorer, after which breathing and snoring resume. Lax tissue in the throat is the obstruction to airflow for these people. It’s also responsible for snoring.

Sleep apnea leads to daytime sleepiness, a rise in blood pressure and possibly an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Weight loss, if applicable, is one way to treat apnea. Your dentist can fashion a device that brings the jaw and tongue forward to relieve throat obstruction. It’s called a mandibular repositioning splint. And people often benefit from masks that are not as cumbersome as a full face mask, even if they are mouth-breathers. The choices for masks are many. One type comfortably delivers pressurized air into the nostrils. That’s only one example of the many kinds of delivery systems.

Two specialists have told you not to tie yourself into a knot about this. That sounds like excellent advice to me.